GIDLEIGH Park Hotel at Chagford has been awarded the maximum five rosettes in the AA Good Food Guide for the fifth year running.
Only five restaurants in the UK have been given the honour this year.
Chef Michael Caines, who was recently announced in The Caterer magazine as 'Chef of the Year' said all came down to hard graft and teamwork.
'We have maintained this award for five years but every year it gets harder and harder,' he said. 'There were nine restaurants which received five stars last year and now it is five.To keep up this standard demands discipline, dedication and a great team.'
Mr Caines, whose restaurant at the Royal Clarence Hotel in Exeter has received three rosettes in the guide, said it was wonderful for the area to get some good news after the devastation of foot and mouth.
'It's been a bad year for the region so to have one of the top five restaurants here in Devon is great,' he said. 'Using local produce and encouraging people to integrate it into their diet is what we are about here. We are championing local produce through the restaurant and flying the flag for the South West.'
Mr Caines said the South West had the 'biggest larder' of food stuffs to experience in the country and there was so much to be proud of.
'This area has suffered a terrible crisis but this award goes to show that there is life after foot and mouth,' he said.